Background: Scleroderma is a chronic systemic disorder that affects the connective tissues. It is characterized by several immune manifestations, inflammation, vascular damage, and fibrosis. Some of the viral infections with complex mechanisms are involved in the development and progression of many autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma. The present study aimed to investigate the serological ...

OBJECTIVE Antiphospholipid antibodies (APLs) could be associated with an increased risk of vascular pathologies in systemic scleroderma. The aim of our study was to search for APLs in patients affected by systemic scleroderma and to evaluate their involvement in the clinical manifestations of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study, from January 20...

While it is called by many names and comes in different varieties, SScl is characterized by one basic problem: overproduction of collagen. Collagen is an important protein in the body that is a component of scar tissue, which allows injuries to heal. When too much collagen is deposited, however, a number of problems can arise, and this is the basic obstacle that must be faced in patients with S...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem autoimmune disease in which there is increased fibroblast activity resulting in abnormal growth of connective tissue. This causes vascular damage and fibrosis. Fibrosis occurs in skin, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, heart, lungs and other internal organs. Vascular manifestations include secondary Raynaud's phenomenon, ischaemia of extremities, pulmona...

Systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma is a rare form of limited systemic sclerosis. These patients are without skin involvement, but do not differ in its clinical or laboratory features and prognosis from classical systemic sclerosis. In the absence of cutaneous signs/symptoms, its diagnosis is delayed leading to significant morbidity and mortality. We report a case of sixty year old female who p...

INTRODUCTION Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that involves the connective tissue characterized by skin fibrosis, classified as localized and systemic (participation of one or more internal organs). The primary objective of this study is to describe and analyze the clinical and laboratory findings in a group of children diagnosed with scleroderma at a referral hospital. MATERIAL AND METHO...

Systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic scleroderma are autoimmune diseases thought to have an exogenous trigger. This review summarizes relevant case-control and cohort studies that investigated exogenous sex hormones, silica, silicone, solvents, pesticides, mercuric chloride, and hair dyes as putative risk factors for the development of these diseases. These studies indicate that estrogen r...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by vascular injury, immunological abnormalities, and fibrosis of the skin as well as various internal organs. Vascular impairment is the early manifestation and plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of SSc. Recent studies suggest that complex interactions among the endothelial cells, pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts are involved in...